Two men from Miami, Florida, were arrested by Lakeville police on October 11 for allegedly breaking into an ATM and stealing over $14,000 in cash using a technique known as “jackpotting.”
Antonio Pinuela, 23, and Robert Rosales, 42, are each charged with one count of theft for stealing approximately $14,400 from a Lakeville bank’s ATM on October 6.
According to the police complaint, an employee reported the theft on October 7 around 6:25 p.m. The employee noted seeing a man dressed in all black and a blue COVID mask, along with a woman in a pink sweatshirt and black pants, walking around the property around 4 p.m. the previous day. The man was observed riding an electric scooter.
The employee left around 5:15 p.m. and later received an automated email indicating that the ATM had run out of money at about 6:45 p.m. An officer responding to the scene discovered a broken interlock switch on the ATM, and the employee provided video footage to the police.
The video revealed that four suspects were initially near the bank around 2 p.m., with one man approaching the ATM around 3:03 p.m. This man appeared to be using an earpiece and was seen leaving on an electric scooter. Other suspects were captured on video manipulating a handheld device with buttons and a small screen.
On October 11, the Minnesota State Patrol received information from the Michigan State Patrol regarding suspects involved in “jackpotting” ATMs—a method that utilizes a portable device and malware to trigger cash dispensers.
Using this intel, state troopers located the suspects’ vehicle at a Shakopee hotel. Officers detained Pinuela and Rosales as they left the hotel, discovering a messenger bag in their car containing a laptop and a handheld device. Additionally, they found $440 in cash on the two men.
Following a search warrant executed at their hotel room, authorities recovered about $7,000 in cash. The pair was arrested on October 11 and remain in custody at the Dakota County Jail.
Bail for Pinuela and Rosales is set at $75,000 each, or $25,000 for conditional release. Their next court hearing is scheduled for October 30 at 1:30 p.m.
